Various different carriers, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,874; 4,182,467 and 4,394,948, have heretofore been made for mounting on the rear portion of different vehicles. In general, such carriers include a pair of rear legs and a pair of forward legs and vehicle engaging feet on the ends of the legs for supporting the carrier on the rear portion of the vehicle body.
The contour of the rear portion of different styles and makes of vehicles varies widely, particularly in the area engaged by the feet on the rear legs of the carrier. For example, the rear deck in some sedans turns down in an abrupt curve or bend at the rear of the vehicle, while in some sports cars having an air fin or simulated air fin, the body portion of the vehicle below the air fin frequently has an inward curve or bend. Some problems have been encountered in providing a stable mounting of the rear feet of the carrier on such rear body portions having abrupt changes in contour.
In vehicle attached bicycle carriers that are mounted on the rear body portion of the vehicle such as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. patents, the bicycles are mounted on a pair of arms that extend rearwardly from the vehicle. While the bicycles are strapped onto the arms to prevent dislodging of the bicycles during transportation, problems have been encountered with theft of the bicycles when the vehicle is parked. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,840 discloses a bicycle carrier for mounting on the rear body portion of a vehicle in which the bicycle is supported on rearwardly extending arms, and which uses an elongated cable that can be threaded through the bicycle frame and locked to the bicycle carrier by a pair of padlocks.